Wodociągi Kłodzkie (Poland)

Introduction: Primary health care (PHC) is a key element of the healthcare system, serving as the first point of contact in medicine and providing access to early diagnostics, prevention, and patient qualification for further treatment. Methodology: To assess satisfaction, a diagnostic survey method with a questionnaire technique was used, employing an original questionnaire containing 24 closed questions and one open question. The questionnaires were handed to patients after using PHC services. The analysis included surveys from 140 individuals (55% women, 45% men; the largest group of patients was aged 41-60 years (35%); 45% had secondary education). Results: Reasons for choosing the practice: mainly proximity to place of residence (64.3%) and good opinion of family/friends (55%), waiting time for an appointment (25.7%). Evaluation of service availability: telephone registration was often rated as average (47.9%), availability of tests and referrals mostly rated good or very good. Premises conditions: 77.8% rated them as good or very good. Information on Patient Rights was available in 63.6% of clinics, and 45% of patients confirmed compliance with these rights. Satisfaction level: 42.1% of patients declared an average level, 38.6% high, 19.3% low. Conclusions: The main motives for choosing a PHC facility are proximity to the place of residence and positive opinion of the environment. Most patients are satisfied with the quality of services provided, but older people (over 60 years) report significantly lower satisfaction levels. A key role in building satisfaction is played by the method of conveying information and the quality of nursing care. Reducing waiting time for an appointment significantly increases patient satisfaction. Regular measurement of patient satisfaction should be a permanent element of quality management in primary health care.

Background:The physiological activation of the left atrium (LA) happens through the Bachmann bundle, which is crucial for the heart's proper functioning. Bayes de Luna first described interatrial blocks (IABs) in 1979, noting their disruption of atrioventricular (AV) synchrony. This study aims to evaluate LA mechanics by analyzing LA strain in cases of normal and impaired interatrial conduction, focusing on retrograde flow in the pulmonary veins (PV).Methods:The study included 51 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and exhibited related symptoms. Six patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) were excluded from the study (45 patients qualified in total: 23 males, 22 females; mean age 69.0 ± 12.9 years).Results:IABs were more frequently observed in COVID-19 patients. Thus, they were included despite SARS-CoV-2 being a potential limitation of the study. All participants underwent clinical evaluation, electrocardiography (ECG) (200 mm/s ×256), and echocardiography to assess left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), mitral regurgitation (MR), LA volume, global and regional strain, and retrograde flow in the PV. A statistical dependency was found between LA global strain and P-wave morphology, MR, heart failure (HF), and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). However, no clear correlation was found between retrograde flow in the PV and LA strain. The mean P-wave duration correlated with its morphology. Additionally, correlations were observed between P-wave morphology and hypertension, being overweight, and PAF.Conclusions:LA mechanics are negatively influenced by IABs. LA global strain correlates with P-wave duration, ejection fraction (EF), and MR independently. Regional LA strain examination is potentially effective for assessing LA mechanics and complements precise ECG.

The immune responses to both SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccines are of key importance in prevention efforts. In April and May 2020, 703 study participants tested for COVID-19 by PCR tests were registered. In June and July 2020, they were examined for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG. From October 2020 to January 2021, those among the study population with COVID-19 confirmed by PCR tests were registered, and the same group of participants was invited to be examined again for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In June 2020, antibodies were detected in only 88% of those who had PCR-confirmed COVID-19 in April-May 2020, which suggests that a significant proportion of persons in the Polish population do not produce antibodies after contact with SARS-CoV-2 antigens or rapidly lose them and reach levels below the lab detection limit. The levels of IgG class anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were significantly lower among people who previously had COVID-19 than for those who had received COVID-19 vaccination, which confirms the high immunogenicity of the vaccines against COVID-19 in the Polish population. The study confirms that a detectable level of IgG class anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies cannot be considered a reliable marker of the presence and strength of COVID-19 immunity preventing individuals from acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Multidrug resistance of bacteria has prompted intensive development work on new medicines, but also the search for effective options among the oldest antibiotics. Although intravenous fosfomycin (IVFOS) seems to be an interesting proposal, the recommended agar dilution method for susceptibility determination poses a major problem in routine diagnostic testing. As a consequence, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the frequency of isolation of susceptible or resistant strains. This fact triggered the disposition of EUCAST concerning the revision of IVFOS breakpoints (BPs), including withdrawal of BPs for Enterobacterales (excluding E. coli) and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the activity of fosfomycin against numerous clinical strains using recommended methods. Materials and methods: A total of 997 bacterial strains were tested from the following genera: Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus spp., Acinetobacter spp., and Enterococcus spp., for which there are currently no BPs. The strains were isolated from various clinical materials from patients hospitalized in five hospitals. During the investigation, the recommended agar dilution method was used. Susceptibility to other antibiotics and resistance mechanisms were determined using an automatic method (Phoenix) the disk diffusion method, and E-tests. MIC values of fosfomycin were estimated for all strains and for susceptible and multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains individually. Results: Except for Acinetobacter and Enterococcus, 83% of the strains were susceptible to IVFOS, including the largest percentage of S. aureus and E. coli. Klebsiella spp. turned out to be the least susceptible strains (66%). The highest proportion of susceptibility to fosfomycin was found among strains that were sensitive to other antibiotics (80.9%), and the lowest was found among Gram-negative carbapenemase-producing bacteria (55.6%) and ESBL+ bacteria (61.6%). The MIC evaluation revealed the lowest MIC50 and MIC90 values for S. aureus (0.5 mg/L and 1 mg/L, respectively) and E. coli (4 mg/L and 32 mg/L, respectively). The highest values of MIC50 were found for Acinetobacter spp. (256 mg/L), while the highest values of MIC90 were found for Acinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. (256 mg/L and 512 mg/L, respectively). Conclusions: IVFOS appears to be suitable for the treatment of many infections, including the empirical treatment of polymicrobial infections and those caused by MDR strains, since the sensitivity of the studied strains to this antibiotic in different groups ranged from 66% to as much as 99%. Sensitivity to fosfomycin was also demonstrated by 60% of carbapenem-resistant strains; therefore, IVFOS is one of the few therapeutic options that can be effective against the most resistant Gram-negative rods. In light of the general consultation posted by EUCAST, obtaining data such as IVFOS MIC value distributions may be vital for the decision of implementing fosfomycin into breakpoint tables.

Abstract The heart rate regularization is crucial for proper treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. The standard resynchronization can be applied, but in patients with narrow QRS this procedure is of no use. The aim of our study is to assess the efficacy of direct His-bundle pacing in patients with congestive heart failure and chronic atrial fibrillation using dual chamber ICD implanted for prevention of sudden cardiac death. Methods The study population included 78 patients with CHF and chronic AF: group A - 56 pts treated with direct His-bundle pacing using atrial port of dual chamber ICD and group B - 22 patients implanted with single chamber ICD as recommended by the guidelines. The patients in group B constituting clinical controls were derived from the Heart Failure Outpatients Clinic with established clinical status and pharmacotherapy. Results The demographic data, clinical characteristics and echocardiography measurements at baseline and during follow-up were presented in the table: Table 1 Group A Group B P value Age (years) 69.7±6.9 66.7±11.3 n.s. Sex (% of male sex) 84.0 86.4 n.s. Ventricular pacing (%) – 46.3±31.2 – His-bundle pacing (%) 81.7±9.2 – – pre post pre post pre vs. post LVEDD (mm) 66.9±4.9 59.9±4.7 64.8±8.0 64.7±8.1 <0.01 n.s. EF (%) 29.6±3.8 43.6±5.9 28.1±6.1 28.8±7.3 <0.01 n.s. NYHA class 2.7±0.6 1.4±0.6 2.5±0.6 2.0±0.2 <0.05 n.s. B-blocker dose (metoprolol equivalent dose) 104.6±41.6 214.3±82.6 78.3±56.6 103.1±49.2 <0.001 <0.05 During 12-months of follow-up the mean values of NYHA functional class, EF and LV dimensions did not change in group B but significantly improved in group A. The physiological His-bundle based pacing enabled optimal beta-blocker dosing. The studied groups had no tachyarrhythmia at baseline so the presumable atrial fibrillation-related harm depends on the rhythm irregularity. Conclusions His-bundle-based pacing in CHF-chronic AF patients contributes to significant echocardiographic and clinical improvement. Standard single-chamber ICD implantation in CHF-chronic AF patients yields only SCD prevention without influence on remodeling process. The CHF-patients with narrow QRS and chronic AF benefit from substantially higher beta-blockade which can be instituted in His-bundle pacing group.

Abstract A single-chamber ICD is a standard method for primary SCD prophylaxis. In patients with chronic atrial fibrillation it dose not contribute to the regularization of heart rate, which is crucial for proper treatment. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of direct His-bundle pacing in patients with congestive heart failure and chronic atrial fibrillation using upgrade from single chamber to dual-chamber ICD. Methods The study population included 21 patients with CHF and chronic AF implanted primarily with single chamber ICD with etablished pharmacotherapy and stable clinical status. Results The echocardiography measurements at baseline and during ollow-up were presented in the table: Table 1 Baseline Follow-up p-value LVEDD (ms) 67.7±10.7 64.5±8.6 <0.05 EF (%) 27.0±4.8 33.2±6.9 <0.05 NYHA class 2.8±0.6 1.9±0,5 <0.05 During short 4-months of follow-up the mean values of EF and LV dimensions significantly improved. This was also accompanied by functional status improvement. Conclusions His-bundle-based pacing in CHF-chronic AF patients contributes to significant echocardiographic and clinical improvement. Standard single-chamber ICD implantation in CHF-chronic AF patients yields only SCD prevention without influence on remodeling process.

Introduction. Among patients suffering from atrial fi brillation (AF), there is a certain population with episodes of typical atrial fl utter (AFL). A detrimental effect of atrial remodelling caused by AF is well known, therefore duration of AF is an important prognostic issue for such patients. In our study we attempted an approach consisting of cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) radiofrequency (RF) ablation and aldosterone receptor blocker administration for a purpose of maintaining sinus rhythm. The aim of this study was to assess long-term effects of such treatment in patients with AFL and/or AF. Materials and methods. Population of 64 patients aged 64.7 years was divided into 3 groups: I — AFL (n = 34); II — AFL with paroxysmal AF (n = 13); III — persistent AF despite antiarrhythmic treatment (n = 17). CTI ablation was performed in all individuals, with subsequent direct current cardioversion in group III. Postablative antiarrhythmic medications were started in all patients in group II whilst in group III the current treatment was continued. Aldosterone receptor blocker was implemented in a part of group I and in all remaining patients. The mean follow-up period was 13.9 months. Results. In group I, typical AFL recurrence occured in 3 patients (8.8%). In group II, 1 AFL recurrence was successfully treated with repeated ablation, and 1 AF relapse was noted. In group III, 7 AF relapses were treated defi nitely with pulmonary vein isolation or accepted as permanent AF. The primary success rate of the procedure was 91% vs. 85% vs. 59 % (p < 0.05). Conclusions. CTI ablation is a therapeutic procedure for AFL and AFL concomitant with paroxysmal AF. Such procedure makes a moderately successful alternative for patients with persistent AF, while treatment with propafenone and aldosterone receptor blocker is provided. CTI ablation may constitute a bridging therapy aimed at preserving sinus rhythm in patients awaiting the pulmonary vein isolation.

A 58-year-old man was admitted with third-degree atrioventricular block and concomitant typical atrial flutter. In such situation the procedure consist of dual-chamber pacemaker implantation followed by cavotricuspid isthmus ablation. In presented case a decision has been made to reverse the order of standard procedures. The radiofrequency ablation of atrial flutter resulted in resolution of complete atrioventricular block and restoration of atrioventricular conduction 1:1, thus the implantation of the dual-chamber pacemaker was not necessary.